Holmes: Friday night at the DemVention

Saturday

Jun 14, 2014 at 9:35 AMJun 14, 2014 at 9:39 PM

By Rick HolmesMassPoliticalNews.comA few thoughts and observations from the convention's first night:***Since Worcester is in his district, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern gave the first speech of the evening, to an arena that was mostly empty with few paying attention.Its not McGoverns fault the crowd was late to arrive and get settled. Hes not a spellbinding speaker, but hes got important things to say. Hes an interesting guy a real idealist who specializes in the mechanics and strategy of legislation; a strong leader in the House on issues like hunger and getting the troops out of Afghanistan. But he doesnt put a lot of effort into advertising himself.***In 2012, I heard Elizabeth Warren speak at the convention in Springfield that gave the Senate nomination, her first victory in elective politics. Like a lot of people, I was still wondering whether she could make the transition from professor to politician. Her speech was just OK, her style a little stiff.But what a difference two years makes. Warren is a national leader now, one of the biggest draws on the Democratic fund-raising circuit. She has learned how to fire up a large crowd.***Ed Markey has run a quiet campaign so far, but boy, can he make a loud speech.I asked him later if he was pursuing a rose garden strategy. Only if theres a bake sale in the rose garden, he responded, recalling a bake sale hed recently attended in Framingham. Two days after he was elected to the Senate last summer, he said, he marched in Naticks 4th of July parade. Then he marched in Sudburys parade, and later Marlboroughs Labor Day parade. Hes been giving commencement speeches all over the state, he said, and been able to visit places hed never been in 36 years as a Massachusetts Congress member, like the New Bedford Whaling Museum.Markey is just as vocal and engaged as a senator as he was as a representative, just as prone to political policy puns and fiery press releases.So if it seems like hes running a quiet campaign, is it because hes not speaking or because people arent listening?***Eight years ago, another outsider making his run first run for elective office blew the convention away. Massachusetts had opened its arms to a poor kid with a funny name from the Southside of Chicago, Deval Patrick recalled Friday night in his last speech as governor to my brother and sister Democrats.Patrick gave a great speech in 2006 and, despite a tickle in his throat, a great speech last night. He is a better orator than that other guy from Chicago with a funny name, and he basked in the success he and the state has had.Eight years ago I asked you to put away your cynicism and say Together We Can. And as my grandmother would say look at us now.Massachusetts has become the nations leader, Patrick said, despite some difficult economic times. While climbing out of the recession, we also made the commonwealth more just, citing initiatives like CORI reform, success in turning around failing schools, reform of mandatory minimum sentences and, of course, the freedom to marry whoever you love.Massachusetts leadership was a theme throughout the evening: on health care, on renewable energy, the innovation economy and marriage equality, and while everyone in the arena seemed to be patting themselves on the back, much of the credit went to the departing governor.Under the leadership of Gov. Patrick, Warren said, Massachusetts has become Americas North Star.***Then it was off to the parties, and talk about what was in store for Saturday, when the Democrats attention would be turned to a collection of candidates far less luminous than Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey and Deval Patrick.Rick Holmes is editor of MassPoliticalNews.com and opinion editor for the MetroWest Daily News.